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11:53 AM
Page 2
Serving your community
and creating value today
and for the future
Vital… Vibrant… Valuable
Your local airport is one of the most vital economic
assets and transportation links in your area.
Community airports, also called general aviation
airports, create jobs, generate local revenue and
attract businesses to the area.
Most people understand the importance of area highways and rail lines. But not everyone knows about
the many benefits and strategic value of their own
community airport. Whether it’s a regional transportation center or a rural airstrip, it is your airport,
serving your area’s needs today… and in the future.
Helping Neighbors and Friends in Need
During emergencies, your airport is the rallying
point for airborne medical, law enforcement, and
disaster relief services.
Everyday, news and traffic reporters use helicopters and small airplanes, also based at your local
airport, to cover regional and breaking news to
keep your community safe and informed.
Private pilots also volunteer as “angels” by transporting patients who could not otherwise afford to
travel to and from life-saving medical treatments.
And they do it free of charge by donating their
time, airplanes and piloting skills.
Your airport may be an important staging point for
disaster relief. When calamity strikes, general aviation is often the fastest and most efficient way to
get aid to those in need.
For more information and a copy of our video,
Local Airports Access to America,
please contact:
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, Maryland 21701
1-800-USA-AOPA
www.aopa.org
It’s Your Airport
Multiplying jobs, incomes and
economic health
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
has represented general aviation
and its pilots since 1939.
Your airport has a “multiplier effect” on jobs and
income. The U.S. Department of Commerce says
that every $1 spent at local airports adds another
$2.53 to your local economy.
For more information about general aviation,
visit www.GAservingAmerica.org
The federal government considers
airports essential elements of the
national transportation system and
provides much of the funding.
3/09
Businesses actively seek locations with a community airport when locating a plant, headquarters, or
distribution center. Compared to congested and
expensive airline hubs, general aviation airports
offer unbeatable convenience and cost-effectiveness. These benefits often come at little or no cost
to the community.
378790_AOPA:378790_AOPA
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Page 1
While government agencies struggled after
Hurricane Katrina, thousands of general aviation
pilots used community airports across the United
States to ferry emergency supplies to the Gulf
Coast region and displaced residents to safety.
It’s true what they say: “A mile of highway takes you a mile.
A mile of runway takes you anywhere!”
Safe and Secure
On Ramp to the World
Most big airports are located far from home. But
your airport is at your doorstep. You can save valuable time with regional airline service or on-demand
charter service. By becoming a private pilot you
also can use small, state-of-the-art airplanes to
reach destinations efficiently.
General aviation airplanes and airports are safe and
have had a steadily improving safety record over the
past 25 years. Consider this: motor vehicle accidents
happen continually but we seldom worry about them.
But aviation accidents capture attention because
they are so rare.
Time savings translate into greater productivity at
the office and more time at home with your family.
That’s a big reason why businesses seek the
advantages of general aviation.
Aviation officials and
responsible developers
use sensible regulations
to minimize noise and
safety concerns. That’s
not always the case, and
sometimes homes are
built too close to the airpor t. Thankfully, more
states require ‘full disclosure’ for transactions
involving proper ty near
an airpor t.
Psychologists say people are more sensitive to airplane sounds because they come and go. Your neighbor’s leaf blower may be louder but because it lasts
longer it becomes background-level noise.
All of that is coming soon to your airport.
Ver y Light Jets, or VLJs, will soon be par t of the
emerging air taxi industr y. With their ultra-quiet
jet engines, they can carr y up to six people to
and from small airpor ts safely, quickly and economically.
Upward and Onward
In the post-9/11 world, the small airplanes at your
airport pose little if any threat. That’s because they
are far too small (lighter than an empty Honda Civic!)
to cause mass destruction. And your airport is a
neighborhood where the residents are the employees
and local pilots. With the AOPA Airport Watch program, they report suspicious activity just as you
would in your own neighborhood.
Exciting new developments in community-friendly aviation technologies promise even greater rewards in
the future.
The federal government has begun creating the Next
Generation Air Transportation System, or NGATS.
NGATS envisions using small airplanes and advanced
satellite navigation and communication technologies
for speedy point-to-point travel between general aviation airports including yours.
Good Neighbors
AOPA and many local airports use “Fly Friendly”
noise-abatement programs, including flight patterns
that avoid noise-sensitive areas.
Aircraft makers already are producing small airplanes
with airline-style flight displays and quiet, fuel-efficient engines.
Flight training helps pilots maintain and improve proficiency. The Civil Air Patrol and
other groups may also conduct homeland security flights from your airport.
Ready For Takeoff
Your airport already is a valuable asset. But with a
little understanding and planning it can be a source
of civic pride and future growth. It will be part of
your legacy to the future.
378790_AOPA:378790_AOPA
3/2/09
11:53 AM
Page 1
While government agencies struggled after
Hurricane Katrina, thousands of general aviation
pilots used community airports across the United
States to ferry emergency supplies to the Gulf
Coast region and displaced residents to safety.
It’s true what they say: “A mile of highway takes you a mile.
A mile of runway takes you anywhere!”
Safe and Secure
On Ramp to the World
Most big airports are located far from home. But
your airport is at your doorstep. You can save valuable time with regional airline service or on-demand
charter service. By becoming a private pilot you
also can use small, state-of-the-art airplanes to
reach destinations efficiently.
General aviation airplanes and airports are safe and
have had a steadily improving safety record over the
past 25 years. Consider this: motor vehicle accidents
happen continually but we seldom worry about them.
But aviation accidents capture attention because
they are so rare.
Time savings translate into greater productivity at
the office and more time at home with your family.
That’s a big reason why businesses seek the
advantages of general aviation.
Aviation officials and
responsible developers
use sensible regulations
to minimize noise and
safety concerns. That’s
not always the case, and
sometimes homes are
built too close to the airpor t. Thankfully, more
states require ‘full disclosure’ for transactions
involving proper ty near
an airpor t.
Psychologists say people are more sensitive to airplane sounds because they come and go. Your neighbor’s leaf blower may be louder but because it lasts
longer it becomes background-level noise.
All of that is coming soon to your airport.
Ver y Light Jets, or VLJs, will soon be par t of the
emerging air taxi industr y. With their ultra-quiet
jet engines, they can carr y up to six people to
and from small airpor ts safely, quickly and economically.
Upward and Onward
In the post-9/11 world, the small airplanes at your
airport pose little if any threat. That’s because they
are far too small (lighter than an empty Honda Civic!)
to cause mass destruction. And your airport is a
neighborhood where the residents are the employees
and local pilots. With the AOPA Airport Watch program, they report suspicious activity just as you
would in your own neighborhood.
Exciting new developments in community-friendly aviation technologies promise even greater rewards in
the future.
The federal government has begun creating the Next
Generation Air Transportation System, or NGATS.
NGATS envisions using small airplanes and advanced
satellite navigation and communication technologies
for speedy point-to-point travel between general aviation airports including yours.
Good Neighbors
AOPA and many local airports use “Fly Friendly”
noise-abatement programs, including flight patterns
that avoid noise-sensitive areas.
Aircraft makers already are producing small airplanes
with airline-style flight displays and quiet, fuel-efficient engines.
Flight training helps pilots maintain and improve proficiency. The Civil Air Patrol and
other groups may also conduct homeland security flights from your airport.
Ready For Takeoff
Your airport already is a valuable asset. But with a
little understanding and planning it can be a source
of civic pride and future growth. It will be part of
your legacy to the future.
378790_AOPA:378790_AOPA
3/2/09
11:53 AM
Page 2
Serving your community
and creating value today
and for the future
Vital… Vibrant… Valuable
Your local airport is one of the most vital economic
assets and transportation links in your area.
Community airports, also called general aviation
airports, create jobs, generate local revenue and
attract businesses to the area.
Most people understand the importance of area highways and rail lines. But not everyone knows about
the many benefits and strategic value of their own
community airport. Whether it’s a regional transportation center or a rural airstrip, it is your airport,
serving your area’s needs today… and in the future.
Helping Neighbors and Friends in Need
During emergencies, your airport is the rallying
point for airborne medical, law enforcement, and
disaster relief services.
Everyday, news and traffic reporters use helicopters and small airplanes, also based at your local
airport, to cover regional and breaking news to
keep your community safe and informed.
Private pilots also volunteer as “angels” by transporting patients who could not otherwise afford to
travel to and from life-saving medical treatments.
And they do it free of charge by donating their
time, airplanes and piloting skills.
Your airport may be an important staging point for
disaster relief. When calamity strikes, general aviation is often the fastest and most efficient way to
get aid to those in need.
For more information and a copy of our video,
Local Airports Access to America,
please contact:
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, Maryland 21701
1-800-USA-AOPA
www.aopa.org
It’s Your Airport
Multiplying jobs, incomes and
economic health
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
has represented general aviation
and its pilots since 1939.
Your airport has a “multiplier effect” on jobs and
income. The U.S. Department of Commerce says
that every $1 spent at local airports adds another
$2.53 to your local economy.
For more information about general aviation,
visit www.GAservingAmerica.org
The federal government considers
airports essential elements of the
national transportation system and
provides much of the funding.
3/09
Businesses actively seek locations with a community airport when locating a plant, headquarters, or
distribution center. Compared to congested and
expensive airline hubs, general aviation airports
offer unbeatable convenience and cost-effectiveness. These benefits often come at little or no cost
to the community.